Mac-Hi’s Girls Varsity Shoots For the Stars

by JAE HAGAR

The Mac-Hi girls varsity have been shooting for greatness this basketball season. For the seniors, Brittney Erb, Abi Biggs,Kitanya Crisman, Shannon Carter, and Sam Tveidt, this has been the last season that they can make their shots as Pioneers.  Coach Brooke Garton, who also teaches science, anatomy, and crime scene science at Mac-Hi, took this job on, despite her many other obligations. 
The team kept a third place spot in the Greater Oregon League. On Tuesday, February 16th they took on Ontario at home. The game was important to the players, so they made sure to play their best.  
Nearly every play was executed with ease, and the Tiger’s defense and offense were no match for the Pioneers. They had numerous turnovers. Of those,  many were caused 5’2 senior, Shannon Carter. She runs the court like a basketball ninja, and can jump higher than most, which is how she causes so many turnovers. The Pioneers’ defensive arsenal is full of great surprises.
The Pioneers beat the Tigers 37-22, making them eligible for the GOL playoffs against Baker on the 17th. The Bulldogs hosted the Pioneers. For Mac-Hi’s seniors, this game potentially determined if they would play any more games as Pioneers. If they had won, they would have played La Grande on Friday, and even though they lost, they qualified for a play-in game for state. 
A groggy team, including coaches, managers, and supporters of the program boarded a charter bus on Friday, February 26th. Heading to Beaverton, the team was pumped up, and ready to take on the Valley Catholic Valiants. The Pioneers stopped at Multnomah Falls on their way to the game to stretch and take selfies.
With the loss of Sam Tveidt, a point guard, the Pioneers struggled to make forward plays. Their defensive tactics were no match for the Valiants. Yet, the fact that they made it this far is amazing considering they hadn’t made a play-in game since 1987. The Pioneers played their best, so the score doesn’t matter. Even though they knew they were going to lose, the Pioneers didn’t give up. These ladies have GRIT, and they played “Valiantly.”

The silver lining is the team accomplished the goals set at the beginning of the year: “Shock the World” and “Make a Play-In Game For State.” The community is on the edge of their seats to see what Brooke Garton will do next year with this team. GO PIONEERS!!

Four Years of Basketball Has Paid Off for Seniors

by JAE HAGAR

This has been the last season for the seniors, when it comes to High School Basketball. This year's lady seniors include: Shannon Carter, Brittney Erb, Abi Biggs, Sam Tveidt, Kitanya Crisman, Kylee Fite, and Jenny Field. This season has been bitter-sweet for all of them. After losing to the Baker Bulldogs on Wednesday, February 17th,  Abi Biggs said, “I probably won’t play basketball again, if we don’t get a state play-in game.” Biggs, along with the majority of the Varsity girls team are softball players. Basketball is just a time passing sport for them, and only Erb plans to play in college.

Mac-Hi Seniors: Top row left to right: Kylee Fite, Kitanya Crisman, Brittney Erb, Sam Tveidt, & Abi Biggs.
Bottom row: Jenny Field & Shannon Carter

Field played the first few games, but had to quit due to family problems. Field has been an active member of the basketball program in the past, and is very passionate about the sport and the team, as well as the players. Crisman told me that Field would have played the whole season if it had not been for the family problems. The team missed Field, and hopes she will be active in the softball season.

Crisman and Fite have also not been able to play the past few games due to injuries. Fite has a bad shoulder that she knew about when the season started, but it wasn’t going to stop her... until it did. She helped with team management though. Crisman went out with a foot injury and also helped out with team jobs. Both help with stats, and still call themselves part of the basketball program. Tveidt was injured during the game against Baker but will hopefully be able to play the spring sport that she likes, tennis.

The team took on the Valley Catholic Valiants, without Tveidt, and fell, valiantly. The seniors played their best, knowing it could be their last game. When they realised there was no hope, they did not give up. The graduating Varsity girls basketball players will miss their coach, Brook Garton, and the younger members of the program. If you see them, congratulate them for making it to a play-in game, because it had been a long time since the Pioneers made it that far, and wish them luck in their future endeavors. GO PIONEERS!

The Lady Pioneers Continue Making Baskets

by KAREN STEELE

Brooke Garton is taking over the position of head coach for the Lady Pioneers Basketball team. As a 4A team in the Greater Oregon League, the Varsity Team’s overall record is 8-5, and are ranked #18 in the OSAA.  Among this year’s returning seniors are Shannon Carter, Kitanya Crisman, Kylee Fite, Jenny Field, Brittney Erb, Samantha Tveidt, and Abi Biggs. The next home games are:

• 01/23 at 3pm against Baker
• 01/26 at 6pm against Athena
• 01/30 at 3pm against Ontario, and
• 02/08 at 6pm against La Grande.

If you haven’t been out to watch the Lady Pioneers play yet, you have four more chances to get out there and show your Crimson & Black spirit!

PIONEERS SCORE ONE TOUCHDOWN

by CASEY HALE

McLoughlin High School hosted its homecoming game on Friday the 16th of October at Shockman Field against the Ontario Tigers. The band played many exhilarating songs inducing a sense of team spirit in the spectators, and the cheerleaders inspired cheer among the crowd. In the first half of the game the Pioneers were without hope of defeating the Tigers, but with nothing but grit they scored a touchdown. Riley Chester was able to elude the clutches of the Tigers long enough to reach the end-zone. Because of this, the final score was 56 to 7 instead of 56 to 0. Although this was not enough to win the Pioneers the game, it was enough to give them hope for seasons to come.

Halftime began with an armada of golf carts rolling across the sea of grass. Held within the carts were the princesses. When the golf carts came to a halt the princesses were revealed one at a time by way of puzzling poems. With the disclosure of the princess’ identities the revelation of the princes began. Among the princes there was a man who would be king, Danny Flores was tapped upon the head with the homecoming wand and became the homecoming king. While thoughts of the game crowded his head, he prepared to crown the queen. He extended the tiara above the heads of many women, but it finally landed on the head of Abi Biggs. Biggs said,”It was very exciting and shocking;”she is grateful to know that people think she’s a good person. Although this was an important moment in her life, she does not believe the way she is viewed has changed.Even though the excitement has ended Biggs will have,”a good memory for the rest of the year.”

The Homecoming Dance

by DARBY FRESKE

(Homecoming court: Queen Abi Biggs, Elise Griffith, Shannon Charter, Alexis Breeding, Cynthia Ruiz, Hunter Yensen, Jacob Kilmer, Adrian Zaragoza, Miguel Perez, King Danny Flores.)

Mac-Hi students dressed to impress on October 17th for the homecoming dance. The dance was full of life and everyone was looking great. When the DJ  played “Cotton Eyed Joe,” everyone broke out in a line dance, girls and boys. The excitement in the room was extraordinary. Later, the Homecoming Court took the floor with their own song while everyone watched. Queen Abi Biggs looked stunning in her dress, as did the other princesses.

Ms. McKenzie Lynn, one of our former English teachers, came to chaperone. She looked lovely, as always, and showed a glowing smile to everyone she talked to. Ms. Garcia took lots of pictures, and most likely got pictures of you and your dates as you walked in.

The dance went from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. and the party never stopped. 266 Mac-hi students attended the dance. The dance was held at the Armory next to the school, and some of the students, parents, and staff decorated the building for us. Make sure to thank them for that. All in all, the 2015 Homecoming dance was an extraordinary success.